Claim: In a social media post, US President Donald Trump announced that he would “be creating the Hormuz Peace Board” and claimed that the US was fighting a war with Iran — “started” by Barack Obama and Joe Biden — “for over 47 years now”.
Fact: The image of the Truth Social post is fake; Trump has not made such a post.
On 17 March 2026, Facebook page ‘The Expert – MEDIA’ posted (archive) a visual containing a Truth Social post allegedly made by Trump, who wrote:
“This war was started by BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA and JOE BIDEN and we’ve been fighting it for over 47 years now! I’m putting an end to it because I am the Peace President! This week I will be creating the Hormuz Peace Board where our so called coward NATO allies are not welcome, many real allies have already expressed desire to join this once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the Hormuz for peace! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President Donald J. Trump”
The visual also contains a Sindhi-language title, which reads, “ترمپ بوکلاهت جو شکار. نيتو فوج جي به كن لادار [Trump is baffled. Even NATO is not listening to him]”.
The caption accompanying the post includes a translation of the supposed post, alongside the user’s remarks, which stated that Trump “is now a failure” and that the US president “can do nothing without Iran’s consent”.
US, Israel attack Iran
On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched a joint offensive codenamed “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Roaring Lion,” respectively, and assassinated Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, as well as numerous top military and security officials, leading to the appointment of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the successor on 9 March.
The conflict has seen significant casualties, with Iran’s Health Ministry reporting over 2,000 deaths — including 160 children in a school bombing in Minab — and 26,500 wounded people, as well as the displacement of 3.2 million people, alongside the targeting of the historic Golestan Palace.
In retaliation, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to most international traffic and launched drone and missile strikes against US bases and regional targets, causing casualties across Israel and the Gulf states while destabilising global oil prices that impacted Pakistan as well.
Although the US later proposed a 15-point peace plan via Pakistan to address nuclear and maritime concerns, Iran rejected the “maximalist” terms, insisting on reparations and establishing its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Amidst these hostilities, the Trump administration has faced scrutiny over its conflicting justifications for the strikes, ranging from preemptive defence to the destruction of Iran’s naval and nuclear capabilities, with State Secretary Marco Rubio eventually suggesting the US joined the fray to support an inevitable Israeli initiative.
Later, after closed-door briefings to Congress staff, it emerged that Trump administration officials had acknowledged “there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack US forces first”.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reviewed Trump’s account on Truth Social, the microblogging platform he owns, for any such post where he claimed that the war with Iran “was started by [former US presidents] Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Biden” or announced that he “will be creating the Hormuz Peace Board”. We did not find any such post.
There are no credible reports by reputable media outlets about Trump announcing the purported “Hormuz Peace Board” either.
On the other hand, the US president has consistently posted warnings to Iran in context of the Strait of Hormuz closure, such as on:
- 10 March, when he warned to hit Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far” if it did “anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz”.
- 11 March, when he threatened “military consequences […] at a level never seen before” if Iran did not remove the mines he alleged it had put in the Strait of Hormuz.
- 14 March, when he warned that he would “reconsider” his decision “NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the [Kharg] Island” if Iran did “anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz”.
- 14 March, when he promised that the US “will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water” to ensure that “the Hormuz Strait [is] OPEN, SAFE, and FREE”.
- 18 March, when he wondered “what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State” and handed over the responsibility of the Strait of Hormuz to the countries that use it.
- 21 March, when he said the countries that use the Strait of Hormuz should guard and police it but the US would step in to help “if asked”.
- 22 March, when he threatened to “hit and obliterate [Iran’s] various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST” if it did not “FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time”.
In a comment to AFP Fact Check, the White House said, “These are fake TRUTH posts.”
On 14 March, the US president posted a caricature comparing his and Obama’s approach to negotiations with Iran, showing himself as a proponent of military action — visuals show him standing as B-2 Spirit heavy bombers fly overhead — and the Democrat interacting happily with Tehran’s leaders with large stacks of money in the background.
Trump has also criticised member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), terming the military alliance “a one way street” that “will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need”.
He further said, “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”
In a 20 March post, he slammed NATO as “A PAPER TIGER”, calling the member countries “COWARDS”. A few days later, on 26 March, he wrote, “NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT ‘NEVER FORGET’ THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!”
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that the Truth Social post attributed to Trump in the claim is false.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found the claim circulating here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
On X (formerly Twitter), it was shared by user @ShamaJunejo, who has previously peddled fake news. It was also shared by accounts based in Yemen, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, and Italy.
Conclusion: The image of the Truth Social post is fake; Trump has not made such an announcement.
Background image in cover photo: DonaldTrump
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